Road working machine



Jan. 10, 1939. F. E. ARNDT ROAD WORKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 18, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 10, 1939. F. E. ARNDT ROAD WORKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 18, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 wfl mm I @Q P h. rQ Ow Ow TQ J m 5:. mm. g L. B E @Q vw mm qw P a g gnu. 8 u gl 5 31 $2 Q WQ 6 m9 mv E NT Jan. 10, 1939. F, E. ARNDT ROAD WORKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 18, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Jan. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROAD WORKING MACH'HIE Application January 18, 1936, Serial No. 59,732

33 Claims.

This invention relates to road working machines particularly of the scraper or grader type.

An object of the invention is to provide a relatively light weight attachment which when combined with a self-propelled dump truck may provide a road scraper or berm or shoulder maintainer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the type above mentioned with simple but effective means to eliminate the formation of windrows which may be formed by a mold board on a road scraper.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a relatively simple attachment which may be readily attached to or detached from an ordinary truck, commonly used in road work, whereby the truck may operate as an independent unit, or may be combined with the attachment to form a complete road working machine.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a device comprising my invention, one of the supporting wheels being removed to show certain structure more completely.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a rear end elevational view of the device in Figs. 1 and 2,

Fig. 4 is a side elevational View of another form of my invention,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan View showing the rear portion of the device illustrated in Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailed side elevational view showing the rear portion of the apparatus of Figs. 4 and 5,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional elevational view taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the arrows,

Fig. 8 is a detailed sectional elevational view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. '7 looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detailed view showing a modification of the lifting mechanism for the device shown at the rear of Figs. 4, 5 and 6.

Referring particularly to the device disclosed in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 there is shown a relatively lightweight road scraper or berm or shoulder maintainer which is adapted to be attached to the rear end of a truck, such as a self-propelled motor dump truck, and when attached to said truck to provide a complete road working machine. The attachment may be readily detached from the truck under which condition it will,

of course, be incomplete as a road working ma chine, but will permit the use of the motor truck for its normal functions.

The attachment is particularly useful in performing a relatively light scraping or excavating operation to level off a corrugated or rough road surface and to smooth out any windrow which may be formed by the trailing edge of the mold board. As a result, in a single travel of the road working machine over a road a complete operation will be performed and it will not be essential to do any further work on the road before it can be used by traffic.

The attachment illustrated in said Figs. 1, 2 and 3 comprises a main frame formed by spaced channel frame members I0, I0, which converge at their forward ends and are connected to a pair of spaced plates H, H, provided with a plurality of holes 12 adapted to receive selectively a bolt 5 3 to position the pivoted main drawbar I4, which drawbar is pivoted at It to a bracket l5 carried on a cross member It, the ends of which are rigidly attached to the channel frame members It, It as by welding. The drawbar l4 carries a hook ll adapted to be hooked into an eye on the rear end of a motor truck in the manner in which the hook ll, illustrated in Fig. 4, is hooked to the eye of the motor truck B thereof. The hook l1 may be secured in place by a cotter pin inserted through the perforation IT".

The structure of the main drawbar I 4 and the hook I! is disclosed in full detail and. claimed in my Patent No. 2,090,776, granted August 24, 1937, for an improvement in Road grader. It may be pointed out, however, that the hook I! and the drawbar l4 not only provide for pulling of the attachment by the truck, but also comprise the sole support for the front end of said attachment. In order to provide a support for the front end of the frame to hold the same in horizontal position when disconnected from the truck, I provide a pedestal I8 pivoted at its upper end at I8 to the center of the crosspiece I6 adjacent to the rear end of the main or machine drawbar M. A hook I9 is provided for suspending the pedestal l8 in lifted position when the attachment is connected to the truck as shown in Fig. 4.

Adjacent their rear ends, the frame members II), It are provided with vertical spaced-apart plates 28, 2B which are rigidly secured thereto, as by welding, and extend both upwardly and downwardly relative to the frame members Ill, II], as shown in Fig. 1. The upper and lower ends of the vertical plates 20, 20 have secured thereto the horizontal spaced apart parallel plates 2|, 2|, between which there extends screw-threaded shafts 22, 22 which are mounted as shown in Fig. 1 for free rotation with respect to said plates 2|, 2 l. The vertical spaced-apart screw-threaded shafts 22, 22 are provided with upwardly extending shanks 23, 23 carrying at their upper ends the operating hand wheels 24, 24. To the rear edges of the vertical plates 20, 20 are rigidly secured, as by welding, transverse vertical reinforcing plates 25, 25 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

A pair of rear vehicle wheels 26, 26 is provided for supporting and steering the rear end of the attachment. By means of steering mechanism connected to the rear wheels 25, 26, the line of draft of the rear end of the attachment relative to the path of travel of the hauling motor truck, may be varied and regulated. The rear wheels 23, 26 are pivotally connected on vertical axes at 28, 28 to the outer ends of the axle 21 which may comprise a pair of parallel spaced plates.

The steering mechanism for the rear wheels includes worm reduction gearing 23 which may be mounted upon the rear axle 2! as shown in Fig. 3. An operating steering wheel 30 is provided for controlling the steering mechanism. Each of the wheels 26. 26 has associated with the hub thereof a steering knuckle having a rearwardly extending arm 3|. These arms 3!, 3| are connected together by the transverse tie rod 32 by means of ball and socket joints at the ends thereof. A link 33 extends from a ball and socket connection on the rod 32 to a ball and socket connection on the lever 34, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The lever 34 being connected to the worm gearing 29 enables rotation of the steering wheel 30 to turn the wheels 26, 26 on their vertical axes 28 relatively to the supporting frame comprising the side members Ill, l0.

Mechanism is provided for the tilting of the supporting frame on its longitudinal axis relative to the rear axle 21, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. For this purpose there is provided inde pendent vertical adjustment of the two frame members I0, I!) with respect to the axle 21. Nut blocks 36, 31 receive the upright screw-threaded shafts 22, 22 and are mounted to slide up and down along the vertical transverse plates 25 intermediate the ends of the vertical plates 20, 22, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. As shown in Fig. 1, the nut slide block 31 has rigidly secured thereto to extend rearwardly therefrom, a stub shaft 38, the rear end of which is threaded to receive the nut 39. The rearwardly extending stub shaft 38 is journaled in a square slide block 4| as shown in Fig. 3.

Mounted near one end of the axle 21 is a rigid bracket 40 which may be welded to the axle 21. This bracket 40 is provided with an elongated slot 42 for receiving the square slide block 4!. The slide block i is adapted to slide along a slot 42 when the supporting frame is moved to its dotted line position shown in Fig. 3.

As shown in Fig. l, a washer 40' is mounted on the stub shaft 38 at the rear side of the bracket 40 and is held in place by the nut 39. That is to say, while the nut slide block 31 may rotate with its supporting frame on the axis of the stub shaft 38, the washer 49' and the nut 39 retain the nut slide block 31 connected to the axle 21.

Another block 41 is welded to the other end portion of the axle 21 and is provided with a bearing to receive the stub shaft 38, the rear end of which is threaded to receive the nut 39',

thereby holding the nut slide block 36 connected to the axle 21 but permitting rotation of the block 36 relatively to the axle 21. It should be understood that the stub shaft 38 is rigidly secured to the nut slide block 36 and extends rearwardly therefrom as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The nut slide blocks 36 and 31 are preferably channelled adjacent their forward ends to provide flanges extending vertically along opposite edges of the plates 25 whereby the latter perform the additional function of acting as guides for the nut blocks 36 and 31.

It will be evident by referring to Fig. 3, that either or both of the hand wheels 24 may be rotated to effect variation in elevation and inclination of the rear end of the supporting framework. That is to say, the nut slide blocks 36, 31 may each be varied in elevation independently of the other. By elevating the nut slide block 31 to a greater extent than the nut slide block 36, the supporting frame may be tilted on a longitudinal axis to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. Such tilting is effected on the axis of the stub shaft 38 which axis is confined to a fixed relation to the axle 21. The stub shaft 36, however, being journaled in the slide block 4| is adapted to move lengthwise of the axle 21, as shown in Fig. 3, when the frame is tilted to its dotted line position shown in Fig. 3, while the axle 21 remains horizontal.

An operators platform 43 is provided at the rear end of the machine as shown in Fig. 2. The operator may also be provided with a seat 44 supported on the rear end of the platform 43.

The supporting frame comprises a cross member 45 the ends of which are rigidly secured to the frame members l0, l6, as by welding. An intermediate cross-piece 46 is likewise rigidly secured to the frame members I0, I 0 and is adapted to provide a support for the circle 47 which car ries a road Working implement such as the moldboard 48 shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The means for attaching the circle 4'! and the mold-board 48 to the supporting frame, are described more fully hereinafter in connection with the description of Fi s. 5 and 7.

Latch mechanism 49 shown in detail in Figs. '7 and 8, is provided for holding the circle in various positions of adjustment, as may be seen by referring to Fig. 2. Upon release of the latch mechanism 49, the circle 41 may be adjusted about the vertical pivot 50 and may be held in such adjusted position by the application of the latch mechanism 49.

The structure thus far described constitutes a road grader attachment which may be detachably connected to a hauling vehicle, such as a selfpropelled or motor dump truck, as illustrated in Fig. 4. The angular position of the mold-board 48 with respect to the line of draft may be adjusted with respect to the supporting frame comprising the side frame members IO, l0, and the inclination of the mold-board with respect to the road surface may be adjusted by means of the hand wheels 24, 24. It should be particularly noted that in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the mold-board is not varied in elevation or inclination relative to the road surface and the supporting frame, but that the rear end of the supporting frame is adjusted in its entirety in elevation and inclination relative to the road surface to effect adjustment in elevation and inclination of the mold-board 48 relative to the road surface. Consequently, after the moldboard 48 has been adjusted relative to the road surface by means of the mechanism shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the hauling vehicle may move the attachment along the roadway or the shoulder thereof, while the rear end of the attachment is being steered by means of the operator on the platform 43 or on the seat 44.

When it is desired to transport the grader attachment shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 from one place to another, the hand wheels 24, 24 may be operated to lift the mold-board 48 sufficiently high to entirely clear the road surface and then the attachment may be towed behind the hauling truck in the manner of a trailer. For this purpose the worm reduction gearing 29 may be self-locking so that the presence of the grader operatorat the rear end of the attachment will be unnecessary when the machine is being transported as a trailer by the motor truck. Furthermore, since the worm reduction gearing 29 is self-locking, the motor truck operator alone may effect operations along the roadway or either shoulder thereof, by adjusting the mold-board relative to the road surface and setting the steering wheels in desired positions to secure the desired line of draft of the mold-board without an operator being stationed at the rear end of the attachment on the platform 43.

The operation of the grader attachment will form a windrow adjacent the trailing end of the mold-board. To provide for the elimination of such windrow by distribution of the material thereof over the scraped surface of the roadway or road shoulder, I connect a drag chain 5| to the supporting frame, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The forward end of the drag chain 5| is provided with a hook 5| which is adapted to be'inserted through a hole at the outer end of the bracket plate 52 which is secured to one of the frame members It] to extend laterally from the forward end portion of the supporting frame. The rear end of the drag chain 5| is provided with a hook 53 which may be inserted through any one of a plurality of apertures distributed transversely along the transverse flange 54 at the rear end of the platform 43.

If desired, a bracket similar to the bracket 52 in Fig. 2, may be provided on the opposite side of the supporting frame, so that the drag chain 5| may be operated along the opposite side of the machine from that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

To prevent the drag chain 5| from interfering with the operation of the mold-board 48, I prefer to provide a pivoted link 55 removably attached at one end to an aperture in one end of the mold board 48, the other end of the link 55 being hooked to a link of the drag chain 5|. The length of this link 55 should be such as to maintain the drag chain 5| in a position laterally spaced from the mold board 48.

It should be particularly understood that the length of the drag chain 5| is such as to permit it to always rest freely on the road surface in position to spread the windrow of material left by the trailing end of the mold board 48. Inasmuch as the chain extends from the link 55 diagonally rearwardly of the adjacent rear wheel 26, the spreading of the windrow will be toward the opposite side of the machine as will be obvious by reference to Fig. 2. Furthermore, the length of the drag chain 5| is such as to enable its great flexibility to effect eflicient spreading notwithstanding the various adjustments of the mold board in elevation and inclination resulting from the operation of the adjusting mechanism shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Figs. 4 to 8, inclusive, illustrate a modification of the windrow spreading mechanism. As here illustrated, an attachment A is provided for connection to the rear end of a truck B, which may be in the form of a self-propelled or motor dump truck, and which is preferably capable of dumping material rearwardly thereof ahead of the mold board of the motor grader attachment. The main portion of the attachment A may be of substantially the same structure as that disclosed in the patent of Wayne C. Neff et al., No. 2,090,732, granted August 24, 1937, for an improvement in Road grader, or as that disclosed in my above mentioned patent No. 2,090,776, but I have added thereto for co-operation therewith windrow eliminator mechanism to take the place of the windrow eliminating chain 5| of Figs. 1 and 2.

The attachment A in Figs. 4 and 5 comprises a supporting frame including channelled side members 55,55 which are each arched upwardly intermediate'its ends and each connected at its forward end to the main drawbar M. The rear end of the drawbar i4 is pivotally connected at 6| to a cross-piece 5|, the ends of which are rigidly attached to the side frame members 60, 6!). Relative adjustment between the intermediate portion of the drawbar I4 and the frame members Ell, 5B is provided by plates having a plurality of apertures adapted to receive selectively a bolt. This structure is substantially the same as that disclosed in Fig. l of the accompanying drawings.

A hook H at the forward end of the drawbar :s' is adapted to be received in any one of a plurality of eyes E52 carried at the rear end of the motor truck B, whereby the attachment A may be removably connected to either rear oorner'of the frame of the truck B or at a point coincident with the longitudinal center line of the truck B. It is obvious that the forward end of the supporting frame of the attachment A receives its sole support from the frame of the motor truck B, during operation of the grader and the windrow eliminator. That is to say, the truck performs the function of not only pulling the attachment along the roadway but also supporting the front end thereof at a predetermined elevation.

The forward end portion of the attachment A is also provided with a pedestal 53 which may be employed to support the front end of the attachment when disconnected from the truck, and thereby hold the mold-board up off the roadway. A hook 64 is provided to maintain the pedestal 63 in an elevated position during operation of the mold board along the roadway.

Positioned below the center portion of the supporting frame as shown in Fig. l, is a mold board 55 carried by a circle 55, the latter being connected by means of the drawbar 57 to the crosspiece 5|.

Adjustment in elevation and inclination of the mold board 55 with respect to the frame member 50 is provided by a pair of hangers 88, S8 at op-- posite sides of the machine, the lower ends of the hangers being connected by universal joints to the rear cross bar ll of the drawbar 5?, and the upper ends of the hangers 68 being connected by means of universal joints to the arms 58, 63, of bell crank levers pivoted to the supporting frame at 25. The hangers are individually operable by means of the wheels 65, 89 and the mechanism connected between the same and the upmr ends of the hangers, as shown in Fig. 5. Each of the wheels 69 is connected to a rod 525 mounted in a bearing at the top of the standard ill. The forward end of the rod 526 is screw-threaded into the tube I28 and the latter is pivoted at |29 to the upwardly extending arm |88 of the bell crank lever which is pivoted at I25. Rotation of the wheel 68 causes the pivot |28 to move forwardly or rearwardly to effect upward or downward motion of the arm 88 and thereby a hanger 68 is lifted or lowered to change the elevation or inclination of the mold board as shown in Fig. 4. The structure for independently adjusting from opposite sides of the machine, the elevation and inclination of the mold board, is shown and claimed in my aforesaid Patent No. 2,090,776.

Since the forward end of the mold board draw bar 61 is pivotally connected to the cross-piece 6|, the mold board may be shif ed laterally relatively to the supporting frame and held in ad justed position by means of the rod '58 and its connections, as shown in Fig. 5. The upper end of the rod H1 is hooked to the bottom of the slide block I2, and the lower end of the rod 10 is pivotally connected at |3i to one end of the crosspiece 1| at the rear end of the mold board drawbar 61. A vertical pin |82 in the slide block '52 is adapted to be selectively inserted in any one of the apertures I33 in the cross-piece l3, the ends of which are rigidly attached to the frame member 6|], 60, as shown in Fig. 5. By means of this construction the mold board may be locked in laterally shifted position.

Therear end of the attachment A as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is supported by the rear wheels T4, 14 mounted for pivotal adjustment on the vertical axes I34, I34 at the ends of the transversely extending axle 75. By means or the steering wheel 18 and steering mechanism connecting the same to the wheels '54, the latter maybe simultaneously moved on their vertical axis |34 relative to the rear axle T5. The steering mechanism is substantially the same as that already described in connection with Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and is also substantially the same as that disclosed in the two above mentioned patents.

However, instead of relying upon self-locking worm gearing of the steering mechanism to hold the wheel 14, 14 in adjusted position when the attachment A is to be towed by the truck for transportation, I prefer to provide adjustable locking means 11, as shown in Fig. 5. This look ing mechanism comprises a latch plate E35 rotatable on a horizontal axis which is parallel to the axle 15, the latch plate being movable into a slot in the lock plate I 36 secured to the cross member or tie rod I31 of the steering mechanism, as shown in Fig. 5. This locking mechanism may take the form disclosed in my aforesaid Patent No. 2,090,776. Similar locking means may be provided for the steering mechanism of the attachment illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. An operators seat 18 and an operators platform 79 are mounted at the rear end of the supporting frame in such position that the wheels 69, 89 and 16 will be within the reach of the operator. It should be understood, however, that when the motor truck tows the attachment A for transportation along the roadway, the rear wheels H, M may be locked in their positions shown in Fig. 5 by means of the locking mechanism ll, under which conditions the presence of an operator on the seat F8 or on the platform 19 is not necessary.

During grading operations of the attachment A shown in Figs. 4 and 5, particularly when loose road material is being spread on the roadway or the shoulder thereof, a windrow'will be formed adjacent the trailing end of the mold board 65, and such a windrow extending along a roadway is a hazard to trafiic. In the form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, this windrow is eliminated by the spreading and distribution of the material thereof evenly over the road surface by means of the drag chain 5|. In the form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 4 to 8, inclusive, modified mechanism is employed for dis tributing the windrow uniformly over the road surface and discharging adjacent the outer edge of the roadway any excess material which may not have been distributed over the roadway.

As shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, a drag or scraper blade 80 is flexibly connected to the rear end of the supporting frame in position to drag over the roadway while having contact therewith only by its own weight. It should be particularly noted that the diagonally disposed drag or scraper blade 88 is unlike the mold board 65 in that it is not designed to plow or dig into the surface of the road but instead to only ride thereover while occupying a substantially vertical position.

As shown in Fig. 6, the drag or scraper blade 88 is provided with a pair of spaced brackets 8|, 8| on the rear face of the blade 88. A longitudinally extending angle iron member 82 serves to provide pivotal supports at |38, I38 for the vertical arms of curved rods 83, 83. The brackets 8|, 8| also provide pivotal supports at |39, |38 for the rods 83, 83, the pivotal supports I38, I39 being vertically spaced-apart as shown in Fig. 6. The upper horizontal arms of the rods 83, 83 are pivotally supported on horizontal axes at the lower portions of the double sleeve castings 84, 84 the upper sleeves of which are slidably mounted on substantially horizontal, longitudinally extending arms 85, 85 which may be formed of relatively flat bars mounted in vertical planes. It will thus be seen that the curved rods 83, 83 constitute spaced hangers for flexibly supporting the scraper blade 88 from the spaced-apart fiat bars 85, 85, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The rearwardly extending arms 85, 85 are each provided with a plurality of apertures 86, 86 adapted to receive selectively bolts 81, 81 associatedwith the upper sleeves of the double sleeve castings 84, 84. It will be evident that by adjusting the castings 84, 84 lengthwise of the arms 85, 85, the scraper blade 80 may be adjusted to various angular positions relative to the line of draft of the machine, and the bolts 81 may be relied on to hold the castings 84 in any selected positions.

As shown in Fig. 5, one of the bolts 81 is provided with an eye M5 in the head thereof to receive the rear end of a brace rod 88, the forward end of which is connected to the bracket 88 bolted to the front end of the left-hand arm 85 at 89, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The brace rod 88 serves to co-operate with the scraper blade 88 and its connections to the arms 85, 85 to form a triangular structure to maintain the scraper blade 86 in adjusted angular relation to the arms 85, 85, thereby preventing any appreciable sway of the scraper blade 80 laterally of the roadway during operation of the machine.

The forward ends of the arms 85, 85 are connected by means of universal joints to the rear axle 15. These universal joints each comprises a vertical axis provided by the bolt 90 and a horizontal axis provided by the bolt 9|, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. It will thus be seen that the arms 85, 85 are mounted for universal movement with respect to the axle I5 and after the scraper blade 80 has been adjusted as to its angularity, the structure comprising the blade 80, the brace rod 88 and the arms 85, will be free to move up and down relatively to the road surface on horizontal axes 9|, 9i. Appropriate brackets I40, I 40 secured to the axle l5 and extending rearwardly therefrom, provide suitable means for supporting the universal joints 90, 9I.

While it is intended that during the operation of the machine the scraper blade 80 shall rest on the road surface by reason of its own weight alone, it is desirable to support the scraper blade 80 in elevated position spaced above the road surface, during transportation of the machine along the roadway while being towed by the motor truck. For this purpose I have provided mechanism within reach of the operator on the seat I8 or on the platform IQ, for lifting the scraper blade 88 entirely clear of the road surface. Rearwardly extending bracket arms 92 are rigidly secured to the rear ends of the frame side members 60, for supporting the scraper blade elevating mechanism.

It should also be understood that by means of this elevating mechanism the effective weight of the scraper blade may be adjusted whenever desired 50 that the scraper blade will be suspended at an adjusted elevation in contact with the road surface or closely adjacent thereto.

Pivotally connected to the rear ends of the bracket arms 92, 92 at 94, 94 are rearward extensions 92, 92'. The connections between the forward ends of the extensions 92', 92' and the rear ends of the bracket arms 92, 92 support the extensions always in horizontal positions, but by reason of the pivotal connections 54, 94 which are located in vertical alignment with the pivots 90, 9B spaced below as shown in Fig. 6, the extensions 92', 92' may be swung laterally when the arms 85, are swung laterally on their pivots 90, 90.

Each of the rearwardly extending arms 92' has pivoted to the rear end thereof at MI, a bell crank lever 91 the vertical arm 93 of which is provided with a handle at its upper end within the reach of the operator on the seat I8 or on the platform I9. The horizontal rearwardly extending arm of each of the bell crank levers 91 is pivotally connected at its rear end to the upper end of a flexible link such as the chain 96, the lower end of which is pivotally connected to the arm 85 intermediate its ends forwardly of the double sleeve casting 84, as shown in Fig. 6.

Mounted on the rear end portion of each of the rearwardly extending arms 92 is a quadrant 98 having a plurality of apertures for receiving the spring-pressed latch pin of latch mechanism I42 as shown in Fig. 6.

It will be evident by referring to Figs, 4, 5 and 6 that the handles 93, 93 are individually within reach of the operator sitting of the seat I8 or standing on the platform I9, and that by adjusting either one or both of the bell crank levers 91, the scraper blade 8%] may have either one or the other of its ends adjusted in elevation. Therefore the scraper blade 86 may be adjusted in elevation as well as in inclination relative to the road surface and held in adjusted position by means of the latch mechanisms I42 associated with the quadrants 98. This arrangement provides for ready and quick adjustment of the scraping effect which the scraper blade 80 will have upon the windrow formed by the trailing edge of the mold board 65, and (as above explained, the scraper blade 80 may be lifted entirely clear of the road surface and held in such position during transportation of the machine while being towed by the truck along the roadway.

As shown in Fig. 5, the forward end of the diagonal scraper blade 80 carries an angular extension I66 in position to extend beyond the lefthand rear wheel 74. It should also be noted that the forward end of the scraper blade 86 itself normally extends appreciably to the left of the path of travel of the trailing end of the mold board I55. Therefore, with the mold board 65 and the scraper blade 3i? adjusted to the positions illustrated in Fig. 4, any windrow which is formed by operation of the mold board 65 will be caught by the scraper blade 8d and its angular extension I00, and distributed uniformly over the sm face of the road traversed by said scraper blade BI]. Any excess material will be discharged from the rear end of the scraper blade 83 at the right-hand side of the path of travel of the machine. This may be along the edge of the roadway to entirely eliminate the hazard to traffic of leaving a windrow of loose material intermediate the sides of the roadway.

While the flexible hangers 96, 96 are useful in lifting the scraper blade 88 off the road or for adjustment of the efiective weight thereof with respect to the road surface, such hangers 9% by reason of their flexibility prevent upward movement of the scraper blade from being transferred to the rear end of the supporting frame. Therefore under all conditions of operation, the maximum weight of the scraper blade Bil on the roadway will be determined by its own weight and the parts which move bodily up and down therewith on the horizontal pivots 9i, 9|.

In Fig. 9 there is illustrated a modified link IIII which may be substituted for the chain link 96 of Fig, 5. The link IIlI is provided with a central rod IIl2 depending from the yoke I83 which is pivoted at I43 to the rear end of the horizontal arm 95 of the bell crank 91. The lower end of the rod I02 is extended through an aperture in the yoke I04 and threaded to receive the nut I 06. A spring I I15 surrounds the rod I62 and presses against the yokes I03 and IE3, the latter being pivoted at I 44 to the arm 85.

Since the rod I62 extends through an aperture in the yoke Hi4, the link IIlI is extensible within the limits of adjustment afforded by the nut I86. The maximum length of the link IEI may be adjusted somewhat by adjusting the nut I06. When the arm 85 moves upwardly to cause the yoke I 84 to compress the spring I05, the link Iill is shortened. It will thus be seen that the link IIII affords a positive hanging connection between the arm 95 and the arm 85 but is yieldable when the arm 85 moves upwardly relatively to the arm 95. Consequently when the scraper blade 80 moves upwardly its motion will not be transferred to the arm 95 and the supporting framework of the machine.

While the spring I 05 does not provide absolutely free upward movement of the scraper blade 80, it allows an appreciable amount of upward movement by transferring only a relatively small amount of the upward moving force to the arm 95. However, should an extensive amount of the upward movement of the scraper blade 89 occur, it will be resisted by the arms 95, 92 in which event the scraper blade 86 becomes so rigidly connected to the rear end of the supporting frame til of the machine that the scraper blade 80 will be given such a forcible scraping action as to prevent an undue amount of loose material from moving under and rearwardly of the scraper blade 80.

It should be particularly noted that the tension of each of the compression springs may be adjusted not only by means of the nuts I06 in varying the lengths of the hangers IOI, but also by moving the arms 95 up or down and locking the same in adjusted positions. Consequently, the tensions of the spring I05 may be such as to add appreciably to the weight of the scraper 80 and the parts mounted thereon. In other words, adjustments of the lengths of the hangers IOI will vary the total downward action on the scraper blade 80, although the latter may remain upwardly yielding.

The circle locking mechanism designated 49 in Fig. 2 is shown in detail in Figs. '7 and 8. Mounted upon a cross-piece H0 of the mold board drawbar 6'! is a longitudinally extending plate H2. The plate H2 is secured, preferably by welding, to the cross-piece H0 intermediate the ends of the latter, and also to the cross-piece II, as shown in Fig. '7'. 7

Projecting downwardly through vertically aligned apertures in the plate H2 and the crosspiece i'Ill is aglatch pin H3, the upper end of which is welded to an'invertecl U-shaped strap H4 which is provided with a pair of side wings as shown in Fig. 8. Spaced-apart bolts 1 I5, H5

extend upwardlythrough vertically aligned apertures in the cross-piece I and the wings of the strap H4; Springs H6, H6 are connected between the upper ends of the bolts H5, H5 and the laterally extending wings of the strap II4, in'position'to urge the strap I I4 together with the pin H3 ina downward direction.' A rectangularly shaped loop HT is provided with upper tapering longitudinal edges along the side walls H8. The loop II'I encircles the latch pin H3, andithe forward tall end thereof carries an upstanding handle H9. By sliding the loop II'I longitudinally along the plate'i I2 its tapering upper edges will'have a ,wedgingaction against the bearing blocks I20, I20 which are welded to opposite sides of'the latch pin H3. The latch pin H3 is rectangular in cross-section as is evident from Figs, 7 and 8, Fig, 8 being a section taken on the line 88 of Fig. 7, looking in the direction of the arrows. The lower surfaces of the bearing blocks I20, I20 are tapered to correspond with the tapering of the spaced-apart upper edges of the loop H'I. When the latter is moved toward the right, as. viewed in Fig. '1, the wedging action will effect lifting of 'the latch pin I I3, and when the loop II! is moved toward the left, the springs I I6, I I6 will automatically lower the latch pin H3 when free to do so.

The circle66 is pivotally mounted on a bolt I2I by means of a cross-piece I22 and radial member I23, as shown in Figs. 5 and ,7. The circle 66 is provided with a plurality of spaced notches !24 adapted to receive selectively the latch pin H3. It will thus be seen that the circle 66 of Fig. 5 and 7 n the circle 41 of Fig. 2 may be le cked in any posiconnected to the motor truck B and one operator stationed on the truck and another operator sta- I tioned on the attachment. While the truck or a shoulder thereof, the attachment A will be" i portation.

moves along the roadway, the attachment operator may control the mold board 65 to have a. cutting action along the surface of the road to remove irregularities thereof, or such mold board 65 may be adjusted to have a spreading action on loose material which .has been previously placed on the roadway or which may be gradually dumped from the truck B as the latter travels along the roadway. In either event; part of the loose material will fill depressions or cover the roadway to a predetermined depth, and the excess loose material will form a windrow along the trailing edge of the mold board 65. The path of travel of the mold board 65 will be determined by the attachment operator, by his steering of the rear wheels 14,14.

The material forming the windrow will be caught by the drag or diagonal scraper blade 06 and distributed substantially uniformly over the road surface so as to effect levelling of such loose material. The scraper blade may be adjusted as to height and inclination so as to regulate the spreading of the windrowmaterial and the level of the road surface caused by such spreading.

When its desired to transport the attachment while being towed by the motor truck, the attachment operator will first rotate the wheels 69, 69 to lift the mold board 65 for ample clearance between the same and the roadway, the scraper blade will be lifted by means of the levers 93, to its uppermost position and locked there, and the steering wheels will be locked in the position shown in Fig. 5 by means of the latch mechanism I35, I36, whereupon the attachment operator may leave his station while the truck operator controls the truck while towing the attachment for trans= The eperation of the attachment shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3ji's broadly the same as the operation of the attachment shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. In the form shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the drag chain 5! takes the place of the scraper blade 80 of, Figs. 4, 5 and 6. During transportation the chain 5| may be quickly unhooked from its connections to the supporting frame and one end of the mold board 48, and carried by the truck during transportation: If desired, however, the chain 5| may be disconnected at Hand 5| and carried by the suppe-rting frame of the attachment without unhooking the chain at 53.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims heretoappende'd, and I therefore wish not to be 4 restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed. l

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a road working machine, the combination with a vehicle frame, of a rear: axle, steering wheels pivoted to the ends of said axle for sup porting the latter at fixed elevation relative to the road surface, an operator's station at the rear end of said frame, steering mechanism connected to said wheels and operable from said station, a mold-board carried'by said frame in advance of said wheels, and nut and screw mechanism closely adjacent to the said axle for supporting the frame thereon at adjusted elevation relative thereto while said axle remains at the aforesaid fixed elevation' relative to the road surface.

2. In a road-working'machine, the combination with a vehicle frame, of a rear axle, wheels for Ill] supporting said axle at a fixed elevation relative to the road surface, a mold-board carried by said frame in advance of said axle and said wheels, spaced-apart upright screws mounted at the rear end of said frame, nuts through which said screws are threaded, and means for supporting said nuts on said axle and closely adjacent thereto.

3. In a road grader, the combination with a vehicle frame, of means comprising an axle and wheels for supporting said frame on a roadway, a mold-board carried by said frame, and mechanism comprising nut and screw elements closely adjacent said axle for supporting thereon at adjusted elevation relative to said axle the rear end of said frame and thereby support the moldboard at adjusted elevation relative to the road surface.

4. In a road. working machine, the combination with a main supporting frame, of means comprising a rear axle and wheels for supporting the rear end of said frame, a mold board carried by said frame, means on said rear axle for adjusting the elevation of said frame to secure adjustment in elevation of said mold board, and mechanism associated with said elevating means for tilting the rear end of said frame on spaced-apart longitudinal axes one of which is fixed relative to the said axle and the other of which is slidable longitudinally of said axle, said adjustment in inclination of said frame securing adjustment in inclination of said mold board.

5. In a road grader, the combination with a vehicle frame, of means comprising wheels and an axle between the same for supporting said frame on the roadway with the axle confined to a fixed elevation relative to the roadway, a moldboard mounted on said frame, and nut and screw elements carried by the axle closely adjacent thereto and connected to said frame for adjusting the elevation of the latter relative to said axle and thereby effect adjustment in elevation of the mold-board relative to the road surface.

6. In a road Working machine, the combination with a main frame, of means comprising a rear axle and wheels for supporting said frame for travel along the roadway, means connected to said rear wheels for effecting the steering thereof, a road Working implement carried by said frame, and nut and screw devices between said axle and said frame for adjusting the elevation and inclination of the latter to effect adjustment in elevation and in inclination of said road working implement.

7. In a road working machine, the combination with a supporting frame, of means comprising an axle and wheels for supporting the rear end thereof, steering mechanism connected to said wheels, a road working implement carried by Said frame forwardly of said wheels, means at the forward end of said frame adapted to be connected to a hauling vehicle, the sole support for said frame being said wheels and said forward end connecting means, and mechanism connected between the rear end of said frame and said axle for adjusting the elevation of the rear end of the frame to effect adjustment in elevation of the road working implement relative to the road surface.

8. In a road grading machine, the combination with a vehicle frame, of means for supporting the same for travel along a roadway, a mold-board mounted on said frame diagonally of the line of draft of the machine in position to deflect material from the road surface to a windrow at one side of the path of travel of the machine, and a spreader flexibly connected to said frame in position to spread such windrow.

9. In a road grading machine, the combination with a vehicle frame, of means comprising a pair of rear wheels for supporting said frame for travel along a roadway, a mold-board mounted on said frame in diagonal relation to the path of travel of the machine with the outer rear end of the mold-board in position to produce a windrow outside of the path of travel of the adjacent rear wheel, and a flexible spreader connected to said frame and such outer rear end of the mold-board in position to drag on the road surface and act on such windrow.

10. In a road grading machine, the combination with a vehicle frame, of means comprising rear wheels for supporting the same, a moldboard mounted on said frame in diagonal relation thereto, and a flexible drag spreader connected at its ends to said frame and intermediate its ends to the outer rear end of said mold-board in position to act onthe windrow produced by said moldboard.

11. In a road-work ng machine, the combination with a vehicle frame, of means for supporting the same for travel along a roadway, a moldboard mounted on said frame in diagonal relation thereto to produce a windrow at one side of the path of the machine, a flexible drag spreader, and means for connecting said flexible drag spreader to the machine in position to sweep diagonally across the top of such windrow.

12. In a windrow spreader, the combination with a frame, of means comprising rear wheels for supporting the rear portion of said frame, means adapting the front end of said frame for connection to a hauling vehicle, steering mechanism connected to the rear wheels, a mold board carried by said frame, and a chain connected at its ends to said frame to form a loop dragging on the road surface in position to spread the win drow formed by an edge of said mold board.

13. In road working apparatus, the combination with a supporting frame, of a mold board carried thereby, steering mechanism for adjusting the path of travel of said road working implement, and a chain drag connected at its ends to said frame and intermediate its ends to one end of said mold board in position to spread the windrow caused by said mold board.

14. In a road building machine, the combination with a vehicle frame, of means comprising rear wheels for supporting said frame for travel on a roadway, a mold-board carried by said frame in advance of said wheels, a scraper blade located rearwardly of the vehicle, spaced-apart drag bars pivoted at their forward ends to said vehicle, mechanism connecting said bars to said scraper blade with the latter in diagonal relation to the path of the vehicle and in position to act on the windrow produced by said mold-board, and a brace rod connecting the forward end portion of one bar to the rear end portion of the other bar in triangular relation with the scraper blade.

15. A road grader comprising a supporting frame, a circle pivoted to said frame for adjustment relative thereto on an upright axis, a mold board carried by said circle, means comprising latch mechanism for holding the circle and the mold board in adjusted position, a slidable Wedging device for releasing said latch mechanism, and spring mechanism for applying said latch mechanism when released by said wedging device.

16. A road working attachment comprising a main frame, means for supporting the rear end Lil of said frame comprising an axle and a wheel at each end thereof, means for attaching the front end of said frame to a hauling vehicle and supporting said front end from said vehicle, a moldboard carried beneath said frame and forwardly of said wheels in position to produce a windrow at one side of the path of travel of the attachment, and means flexibly connected to the attachment, in position to act on the windrow rearwardly of the attachment.

1'7. A road working attachment comprising a main frame formed by longitudinally extending means, means at the front end of said frame for attaching it to a hauling vehicle and supporting said front end from said vehicle, means including wheels for supporting the rear end of said frame, means for steering said wheels to position said attachment relative to said hauling vehicle, a road working implement carried by said frame in front of said wheels, and means extending behind said wheels to level the road surface after being operated upon by said implement.

18. A road working attachment comprising a main frame formed of a pair of spaced longitudinally extending members, means for supporting the front end of said frame from a hauling vehicle, a rear axle, wheels on said axle, means for steering said wheels, individual means interconnecting said axle and each of said members, said individual means being constructed and arranged to adjust the individual frame members to and from said axle independently of each other, and a road working device carried by said attachment.

19. A road working attachment comprising a main frame comprising a pair of spaced apart longitudinally extending members, an axle at the rear end thereof, supporting wheels on said axle, means for supporting the front end of said frame from a hauling vehicle, individual means attaching each of said members to said axle for independent vertical adjustment with respect thereto, and a road working implement carried by said frame, said individual means being adapted to vary the elevation and transverse inclination of the rear end of said frame relative to said axle and thereby secure adjustment in elevation and inclination of said road working implement relative to the road surface.

20. A road working attachment comprising a main frame, of means for supporting the front end thereof from a hauling vehicle, wheel means for supporting the rear end thereof, an operators support on said frame, means operable from said operators support for steering said wheel means, a mold board positioned in front of said wheels, and means positioned behind said wheels for leveling the windrow formed at the trailing edge of said mold board during operation.

21. A road working attachment comprising a main frame, of means for supporting the front end of said frame from a hauling vehicle, wheel means for supporting the rear end of said vehicle, a mold board carried by said frame forwardly of said wheels, a chain extending around the outer trailing edge of said mold board and behind at least one of said wheels, said chain acting to level the windrow formed at the trailing edge of said mold board when said attachment is in operation.

22. In a road Working machine, the combination with a supporting frame, of means comprising a rear axle and wheels for supporting the rear end of said frame, an earth working tool carried by said frame, upright transverse guide plates spaced-apart at the rear end of said frame, upright screws one associated with each of said upright guide plates, nuts grooved to fit the edges of said plates and slide along the same, said nuts being threaded on said screws, journal bearing blocks, stub shafts extending rearwardly from said nuts and journaled in said bearing blocks, mechanism for mounting one of said journal bearing blocks in fixed relation to said axle, a laterally extending slide bearing for the other journal bearing block, and wheels at the upper ends of said screws for individual operation to secure adjustment in elevation and transverse inclination of the rear end of said frame and thereby effect adjustment in elevation and transverse inclination of the earth working tool.

23. In a road grader, the. combination with a supporting frame, of means comprising wheels on an axle at a fixed elevation relative to the frame and relative to the roadway for supporting said frame for travel along such roadway, a moldboard carried by said frame in advance of said wheels, and means for adjusting said frame in transverse inclination relative to said axle on the longitudinal axis of the frame to secure adjustment in inclination of said moldboard transversely of the roadway and relative to the path of travel of the machine.

24. In a road grading machine, the combination with a vehicle frame, of means comprising rear wheels for supporting said frame for travel along a roadway, a mold-board carried by said frame in advance of said wheels, spaced-apart bars each universally pivoted at its rear end to said vehicle, a scraper blade adapted to rest by gravity on the roadway, means for adjustably connecting said scraper blade to said bars to occupy diagonal positions relative to the path of travel of the vehicle and overlapping the trailing end of the mold-board so as to act on the windrow produced by the latter, and a tie rod connecting said bars in horizontal triangular relation to said scraper blade to prevent lateral swerving of the latter during operation on the windrow while said scraper blade is free to move up and down relatively to the vehicle frame by reason of the pivotal connections between said bars and said vehicle.

25. In a road machine, the combination with a supporting frame, of means comprising a rear axle-tree and rear wheels for supporting said frame for travel along a roadway, an earth working implement adjustably mounted on said frame, and means comprising nut and screw elements associated with the said rear axle-tree for adjusting said frame relative to said axle-tree on an axis extending longitudinally of said frame to secure adjustment in inclination of the said earth-working implement transversely of the roadway and relative to the path of travel of the machine, said adjusting means comprising mechanism for retaining the nut elements at said axletree.

26. In a road working machine, the combination with a supporting frame, of a scraper blade carried by said frame in position to extend diagonally across the path of travel of the machine to produce a windrow at one side of the machine, means for mounting said frame for travel of the scraper blade along a roadway, a spreading blade extending diagonally in the opposite direction from the scraper blade and across such path rearwardly of the supporting frame, and means for flexibly connecting said spreading blade to said frame to trail behind the latter in position to receive the windrow produced by the scraper blade and spread it across the roadway toward that side thereof remote from the windrow.

27. In a road-working machine, the combination with a vehicle frame, of means comprising rear wheels for supporting said vehicle frame for travel along a roadway, a mold-board carried by said frame in advance of said wheels in diagonal relation to the line of draft of the machine with the rear trailing end of said mold-board in position to produce a windrow at one side of the machine intermediate the ends of said frame, a spreading blade, mechanism pivotally connecting said spreading blade to said frame on horizontal axes and in diagonally extending position to spread the windrow produced at the trailing end of said mold-board, and upwardly yielding vertical means for suspending the spreading blade behind said frame at adjusted elevation relative to the road surface.

28. In a road working machine, the combination with a portable frame, of means for supporting said frame for travel along a roadway, a scraper blade, spaced-apart rearwardly and longitudinally extending supports connected to said scraper blade to effect movement of the same along the roadway, universal connections between the rear end of said frame and the forward ends of said supports, and a diagonal rod connected at its ends to the front and rear end portions of said supports to hold the blade to its course by preventing lateral swaying thereof.

29. In a road-working machine, the combination with a wheeled frame adapted to travel along a roadway, of a scraper blade, spaced-apart rearwardly projecting bars each pivotally connected to said frame on an upright axis, additionally spaced-apart bars each universally connected at its rear end to said frame, mechanism for supporting said scraper blade on said additional bars, upwardly yielding hangers connected to said additional bars, and manually operated mechanism on said first-named bars and connected to said hangers for actuating the latter to adjust the scraper blade to a predetermined elevation relative to the road surface and hold the same in such position.

30. In a road-Working machine, the combination with a wheeled frame adapted to travel along a roadway, of a scraper blade, a pair of spaced-apart bars each universally pivoted at its rear end to said frame, means movable along said bars to selected positions for suspending therefrom said scraper blade in adjusted angular relation to the line of draft of the machine, another pair of spaced-apart bars shorter in length than said first-named bars and each pivoted at its rear end to said frame on an upright axis, upwardly yielding hangers extending upwardly from the longer bars intermediate the lengths of the latter, and manually operated mechanism mounted at the rear end of each of the shorter bars and connected to said hangers to adjust the elevation of the scraper blade relative to the road surface.

31. In a road-working machine, the combination with a portable frame, of means for supporting the same for travel along a roadway, a scraper blade, spaced-apart rearwardly extending bars, spaced-apart suspension devices connected to said scraper blade, means movable along said bars for connecting said suspension devices thereto in selected positions and thereby adjust the angularity of said scraper blade relative to the line of draft of the machine, a pivotal connection on an upright axis between the rear end of each of said bars and said frame to permit lateral swinging of either bar when the angularity of said scraper blade is adjusted as aforesaid, and a diagonal rod connected at its ends to said bars,

to establish in co-operation with said bars and said scraper blade a horizontal triangular structure for resisting lateral swerving of the blade in its adjusted angular position while being moved along the roadway.

32. In a road-Working machine, the combination with a vehicle frame, of means comprising rear wheels for supporting said frame for travel along a roadway, spaced-apart bars universally pivoted at their rear ends to said frame, a scraper blade, suspension devices adjustable along said bars and connected to said scraper blade, means for attaching said suspension devices to said bars in selected positions to adjust the angularity of the scraper blade relative to the line of draft, the bars being free to swing laterally during such adjustment, the distance between said suspension devices on the blade being fixed, and a diagonal rod connected to one of said bars near said blade and to the other bar remote therefrom to form with said bars and said blade a triangular structure to resist lateral swerving while the flexibility of the connections between the frame and the blade permits either end of the latter to move up or down relative to the other end.

33. In a road building machine, the combination with a vehicle comprising rear wheels connected to the rear axle, of a scraper blade, means for pivotally connecting said scraper blade to said rear axle on horizontal axes, and mechanism comprising a vertical chain hanger for supporting said scraper blade at adjusted elevation relative to the road surface, said vertical chain hanger permitting free upward movement of said scraper blade from such adjusted elevation when said blade rides over an upwardly projecting irregularity in the roadway.

FRANKLIN E. ARNDT. 

